"Hehehe... Herta, my Herta~ So soft and fragrant..."
"Wake up, you dummy!"
Watching Lynelle, who kept murmuring in her sleep and was about to latch onto some rather inappropriate places, a flustered and exasperated Herta quickly pushed away the cute face nuzzling against her chest.
"Hmm?"
Lynelle blinked drowsily, then decisively buried her head back into Herta.
"Herta, Herta, let me tell you a secret. If you massage them more, they can grow... Ow!"
"If this genius wanted to alter her physical form, she wouldn't need such troublesome methods... You're just looking for an excuse, aren't you!"
Herta puffed her cheeks and rapped Lynelle on the head, saying, "If you keep spouting nonsense, be careful or I'll make you relive last night's experience again, alright?"
"Eh? No, no way..."
Lynelle quickly shook her head.
As a genius of Erudition, if Herta wanted to engage in some... peculiar activities with Lynelle, the number of tools at her disposal was far too many.
Never mind the large group of mini-Hertas outside; just Herta herself was almost more than Lynelle could handle.
If she had to go through that again... her utterly exhausted body might just force Herta to carry her off to the Scalegorge Waterscape.
"Hmph, knew you were all talk."
Herta gave a light humph, simultaneously signaling for two mini-Hertas to come in and tidy the disastrously messy room, while casually giving a pat to Lynelle's soft backside.
"Get up! Then go back to the Scalegorge Waterscape to recharge. You've been running around outside all day yesterday; it's about time you gave yourself a power-up today."
"Alright, alright, alright..."
Lynelle sat up on the bed, lazily stretching with a yawn, her graceful body curves on full display.
"Feels like... peaceful days are about to start again."
--+--
As it turned out, Lynelle's feeling wasn't far off.
With the storylines in both Honkai Impact 3rd and Honkai: Star Rail reaching a temporary lull at the same time, Lynelle's life suddenly became much more leisurely—of course, this referred to her state of mind.
Physically speaking...
Between Stelle and Herta on one side, and Kiana and Wendy on the other, Lynelle's daily life was still quite... "fulfilling."
However, not all the news during this period was good. For instance, the progress of Lynelle's physical recovery wasn't as smooth as anticipated.
"I think Ruan Mei's reasoning should be correct, right? This situation probably just means my luck is bad?"
Tilting her head in confusion, Lynelle looked at the trio of geniuses, all wearing serious expressions.
"For geniuses, unless it involves certain special issues, there's no such thing as 'luck'," Herta said, her face etched with worry.
"When you get down to it, we still lack sufficient understanding of the Aeons."
"It's normal for there to be discrepancies between the conclusions Ruan Mei derived from simulating the standard Paths of Destruction and Abundance and the actual effects."
"If only the Simulated Universe could progress a bit faster..."
"Moving faster wouldn't help," the projected image of Ruan Mei interjected.
"I understand your concerns, especially after she demonstrated that peculiar trait of attracting Aeons."
"I also don't recommend letting her enter the Simulated Universe. But this means we truly lack detailed data on the specific effects the Aeons have on her body."
"Precisely because of this, we overlooked that the power bestowed by an Aeon isn't as easily reconciled as ordinary Path energy."
"Pushing her external operational time after each energy recharge to one month is currently the limit. If we wish to extend it further, only two methods remain."
"The first is to find a blessing of Abundance, comparable to the Ambrosial Arbor—or at least not too far below it—and implant it into her body, to replace the Arbor's role in transfusing energy and maintaining her physical stability."
"And the second method..."
"Is for her to advance further on the Path of Trailblaze," Screwllum's voice resonated among the four.
"Reason: The sufficiently accommodating Path of Trailblaze can neutralize some of the influences from Nanook and Yaoshi, while also helping Lynelle adapt to more power of Destruction without compromising her mental faculties."
"However, doing so also means accidents could occur at any time. After all, the Path of Trailblaze is fraught with unknowns."
"Remaining in an anomalous zone for a month is hardly an unlikely event."
"Conclusion: Lynelle's resurrection trigger count may consequently increase significantly."
"Naturally, introducing other forces capable of harmonizing the two Paths within Lynelle's body is also a viable additional option. For example, the Harmony of the Family, the Arbitrators of Equilibrium, or even the Masked Fools..."
"Mmm... I think I get it now."
After listening for a long while, Lynelle seemed to reach a conclusion.
"So, the situation inside me is like... my strength is sufficient, but I'm lacking either a specific Path or a 'teammate' to provide stability?"
"Otherwise, it's like my health bar and mana bar are shared. If I use up the Abundance blessing power that maintains stability, I become a bomb waiting to explode? A crash-prone disaster?"
"Though the phrasing is rather colloquial, that is essentially correct," Screwllum nodded.
"Clarification: It doesn't necessarily require strengthening yourself. Introducing external forces to provide you with recharge-style replenishment, similar to the Ambrosial Arbor, can also extend your external operational duration."
"For example, having a Harmonizer from the Family attune the forces of Abundance and Destruction within you could, to some extent, soothe their mutual antagonism."
"Well, doesn't that mean we still have plenty of time?"
The moment she heard 'Family,' Lynelle perked up.
"Our next stop is Penacony, which happens to be the Family's turf. Surely we can find a Harmonizer there to help."
"At the very least, the time we have to solve this problem has become a bit more flexible, right?"
"You're certainly looking on the bright side..." Herta sighed.
"However, I still believe Lynelle's condition requires seeking a breakthrough within the Simulated Universe…"
"Screwllum, after Lynelle embarks on this journey, I intend to accelerate the promotion of 'that project.' Please prepare accordingly."
"That project... you mean, 'Scepter'?" Screwllum pondered for a moment. "Understood. I will make the necessary preparations and inform Stephen as well."
"After I finish handling matters at hand, I will also visit your space station," Ruan Mei said, rising to her feet.
"Don't worry, I won't keep you waiting long. The situation with Tingyun should stabilize within ten days. We'll meet then. It works out well, as I also require your space station's assistance for some of my research."
"Additionally... at that time, I can also observe the unique qualities of your... 'lab assistant' up close."
"I feel like there was some subtext to her words," Herta said, looking puzzledly at Lynelle after Ruan Mei ended the call.
"Well... who knows?"
Remembering a certain Light Cone from her past life named "Geniuses' Greetings" Lynelle guiltily averted her gaze.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.